Blog Like A Boss

Technicals of Blogging

Blogging is not like other types of writing. Blog content on a business blog is often very purposeful, with information that is targeted and specific to answer the questions searchers are asking. People who read blogs are not reading the same way that they read anything else, so the copy on a blog needs to be tailored to those readers. Here is a basic trick to Blog like a boss.

F-Pattern

Heat Maps have been done to track the eye’s of internet readers. The interesting finding about how people read on the internet is that they don’t. The eyes don’t go from left to right and back again, like when we’re engrossed in a novel or reading a magazine article.

When “reading” on the internet, people sweep their eyes over the entire text and stop briefly a, then move on. These stops are called Fixations. Most often the result is an F-pattern. From the Nielsen Study:

• Users first read in a horizontal movement, usually across the upper part of the content area. This initial element forms the F’s top bar.
• Next, users move down the page a bit and then read across in a second horizontal movement that typically covers a shorter area than the previous movement. This additional element forms the F’s lower bar.
• Finally, users scan the content’s left side in a vertical movement. Sometimes this is a fairly slow and systematic scan that appears as a solid stripe on an eye-tracking heatmap. Other times users move faster, creating a spottier heatmap. This last element forms the F’s stem.

This knowledge should give bloggers a usable format for writing most blog posts, especially those that could get boring. If there is important information that you don’t want people to overlook, the F-pattern format can work well. Here is an outline of a typical post:

Catchy Title (H1 or H2)

First sentence that draws the reader in, promises information that they don’t want to miss, but doesn’t give it all away.  Supporting sentence. (add a graphic to the right of this content – eye candy keeps people on your page longer)

Scatter Sub-Heads Thoughtfully (H-2 or H-3)

You can have a second paragraph, or not. But the first two paragraphs must have the most important information, because they have the greatest chance of being read.

• three
• to five
• bullet
• points
• For some reason odd numbers are preferred…

Second paragraph.  The shorter bar of the F. Add some juicy detail. Two or three sentences. Each Sub-head and paragraph should start with information-packed words. People often don’t even read past the first 2 words.

Another Subhead 

The less important information follows. If you’ve got great content, this can become an E-pattern. Scatter you links and bold words throughout the copy, these can be Fixations if done well. But don’t overdo.

Check it out:

Read in-depth about F-Patterns on this LinkedIn article:

7 Usability Mistakes That Will Kill Your Online Sales, by Gregory Ciotti